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Knockout
"Knockout" is the twenty-fourth episode of the third season of Castle. Summary Kate Beckett’s investigation into her mother’s death is reactivated when Hal Lockwood - a professional hit man with knowledge of Beckett’s mother’s murder – stages a spectacular escape during a court hearing. As police launch a manhunt for Lockwood, Castle and the team uncovers evidence of a deeper conspiracy involving a mysterious figure with law enforcement connections who is linked to both Lockwood’s escape and the killing of Johanna Beckett. The search for Lockwood and the quest to identify his co-conspirator leads to a shocking and deadly conclusion. Plot In “Knockdown,” we learned Hal Lockwood is deeply connected to the murder of Beckett’s mom. During her weekly visit to the prison, Beckett discovers the hired assassin has been transferred to general population where he promptly kills Gary McAllister, one of three police officers who kidnapped mobsters for ransom back in the day. The other known dirty cop was the deceased John Raglan, the lead investigator in Beckett’s mom’s case. Someone very powerful is looking cut off all avenues of the investigation. BOOM! A flash bomb is detonated at Lockwood’s arraignment. It’s chaos in the courtroom as the prisoner makes a daring escape by helicopter. Castle believes there’s a third renegade cop out there who can bring down the mastermind of the kidnapping scheme. This third cop could be Lockwood’s next target. The chopper is found in a hangar in Jersey. It was stolen and returned before anyone knew it was missing. An officer named Chuck Ryker may have aided in Lockwood’s escape. He’s found with a bullet to the head. The payoff money Ryker received bounced through banks in Dubai. This case is much bigger than just the kidnapping of mobsters in back alleys. Beckett thinks the third cop is the one pulling all the strings. Castle realizes old arrest reports were altered in the records room years ago. Captain Montgomery tells Ryan and Esposito that if they locate Lockwood they should take him down. He’s obviously worried about Beckett’s safety. Her dad is, too. That’s why Jim Beckett pays a visit to Castle. He wants him to convince his daughter that her life is worth more than her mother’s death. Castle wants Beckett to walk away from the case. He urges her to think about how her dying that would affect those who love her. Her dad…Josh… Then Beckett asks, “And what about you, Rick?” This leads to an intense exchange where Castle admits that he doesn’t know where he stands with her. He doesn’t know what they are. Beckett clears things up for him. She says, “You know what we are, Castle. We are over.” Not good. Beckett is shocked when Captain Montgomery agrees to kick Castle to the curb. He says the only reason he kept him around this long is because he was good for her. Montgomery says they can’t win this thing because there are no victories. There’s only the battle. These are stirring words. Of course, we have a hard time digesting them when Lockwood shows up at Montgomery’s home with a plan to kill Beckett. Believe it or not, Roy Montgomery is the third cop. The next day, Montgomery kisses his wife and kids goodbye. He then seals some secret files into a envelope to be mailed. Montgomery also makes sure several of his handguns are fully loaded. Then the call is made to Beckett. Montgomery wants her to meet him at the hangar where they found the stolen chopper, which is exactly the plan Lockwood had laid out for him. Beckett is heading into an ambush. Esposito and Ryan track down a retired cop who used to work in the records room. The guy was in the academy with Raglan and McAllister, but he wasn’t dirty. He says the two rogue cops were tight with another rookie. His name: Roy Montgomery. Ryan and Esposito know their boss is the third cop—the one who altered the records. It’s such a devastating shock that it actually has these two partners coming to blows. Ultimately, they know it’s all true. They also know Beckett is in danger. Beckett receives a text from Ryan about Montgomery just as she sees him holding an outstretched gun at the hangar. He explains that he was a rookie when the incident with Raglan and McAllister went down. He tried to make up for it by being the best cop he could be. He knows that Beckett’s mom died because of actions he helped set in motion. All these years, Montgomery was grateful that Beckett was in his command so that he could protect her. Believe it or not, he’s doing so right now. That’s why he won’t give her the name of the mastermind. He brought her to the hangar to lure in the killers. Montgomery called Castle to take Beckett away once they arrive as he makes his last stand as a cop. BANG! BANG! BANG! A gunfight with the hired killers is a bloodbath. Lockwood is dead, as is Captain Roy Montgomery. Beckett tells Castle, Esposito and Ryan that, as far as the world’s concerned, Roy Montgomery died a hero. She speaks of his fine character at the cemetery. Everyone is captivated by her words. Everyone but Castle. He sees a flash in the distance. BANG! A gunshot rings out. Beckett’s been shot! Castle cradles her in his arms. He pleads, “Don’t leave me, Kate. I love you.” These are the last words Beckett hears before her eyes close and...END OF EPISODE!!! Promo 500px|left Cast Main Cast *Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle *Stana Katic as Detective Kate Beckett *Jon Huertas as Detective Javier Esposito *Seamus Dever as Detective Kevin Ryan *Tamala R. Jones as Dr. Lanie Parish *Ruben Santiago-Hudson as Captain Roy Montgomery *Molly C. Quinn as Alexis Castle *Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers Guest Cast *Max Martini as Hal Lockwood *Scott Paulin as Jim Beckett *Brian Goodman as Gary McCallister *Judith Scott as Evelyn Montgomery *Matt McTighe as Chuck Ryker *George Gerdes as Mike Yanavich *Malcolm Foster Smith as Dwight Haskell *Daniele Watts as Rebecca Montgomery *LaNiesha-Jopre Irvin as Mary Montgomery *Sean Blodgett as Avery Zussman *Priscilla Garita as Bridge Officer *Chris Gann as Fake Cop 1Fake Cop Featured Music *"Fire On The Rooftop" - Uncle Lucius Trivia *As Castle introduces the Derrick Storm comic book, an electronic version of his "action theme" plays in the background. *McAllister tells Lockwood, "You know, I was wondering when he was going to get around to me." Lockwood later uses the same pronoun with Montgomery. This implies that the mastermind is male. **The mastermind's wealth and power all derive from him solving the Pulgatti case and then blackmailing Raglan, McAllister, and Montgomery into giving him all the ransom money. *Beckett's shots fired at Lockwood's escaping helicopter were not in vain. The bullet holes on the stolen helicopter helped identify it later; otherwise the owner would not have realized that it had been used the night before. *The pictures of Beckett's mom are not of the same model as has been shown previously in the photos. Neither model has been credited. *This is the second appearance of Jim Beckett, and the first time he's met Castle. *Montgomery's order to Ryan and Esposito kill Lockwood on sight is of course highly illegal-- and possibly driven by an ulterior motive, as Ryan suggests. Another questionable order is his suggestion to Castle that he talk Beckett into dropping the case. Beckett of course rebuffs him, and goes to Montgomery to ask that Castle be kicked out. Montgomery agrees immediately and tells Beckett that he will support her in the investigation. The speeches he gives Castle and Beckett are each inspiring, taken individually, but taken together it seems his real goal at first was to drive the two apart. *This episode features the final appearence and death of Captain Roy Montgomery. **The first time Montgomery met Beckett, she was a patrol cop improperly reading her mother's case file. Montgomery happened to be in archives to "look up some old reports". Later, it turns out that he had in fact been going down to archives to alter files that tied him to Raglan and McAllister. It's possible that he was doing so on the very night he ran into Beckett. References *Castle-Fans.org - Season 3 Plot Summaries Category:Season 3 Category:Season finale